The Black Ball Returns
Seong-il woke with a violent spasm of pain ripping through his chest. "Ugh... hack... cough, cough!" He forced his eyes open and looked around, realizing he had awakened near a rocky valley strewn with sand and stones.
"Where... where the hell am I?"
Seong-il struggled to his feet, grabbed a nearby boulder for support, and immediately began vomiting. After what felt like an eternity of heaving up water and half-digested food, he finally regained some clarity. He checked inside his robes. Thankfully, the wooden box he'd risked his life to protect and the martial arts manual wrapped in silk were both safe. But...
"Fuck! My phone! My ball!!!"
Seong-il panicked the moment he realized the Black Ball he'd used to capture the Young Mistress and the smartphone that let him return to reality were both gone.
How... what do I do now? Am I stuck here forever? Do I have to spend the rest of my life running from those Demon Sect bastards?
Without thinking, Seong-il dropped to his knees, clutched his head, and let out a grief-stricken roar.
"Goddamn it!! Son of a bitch!! Give me back my phone!! Fuck!!"
The instant he shouted, a blue light bloomed before his eyes. An all-too-familiar smartphone began to materialize.
"Huh...? My... ph... phone?!"
Seong-il snatched it with both hands, tears streaming down his face.
"I really thought I was screwed! You piece of shit...!"
The tension that had been holding him together finally snapped. He clutched the phone and cried for a long time. Only after the tears had run their course did his mind begin to calm. Once he was steady again, he started examining the device.
"Whew... Losing the ball hurts like hell, but what can I do? It's still better than being trapped here forever..."
Seong-il comforted himself as he inspected the phone. Both the device and its apps were working normally. He noticed one new notification that hadn't been there before.
User: Han Seong-il (Muhak)
1. Current World: Pokso Muhyopjeon
2. Abilities: Induction, Game Master
- Induction LV.1: Uses electronic devices to quantify and analyze the abilities of people, items, and more.
- Game Master LV.1: Allows entry into game worlds.
3. Stats:
- Agility: 4(+3)
- Strength: 3(+2)
- Intelligence: 3(+1)
- Stamina: 4(+2)
- Magic Power: 5(+4)
4. Points: 115
5. Condition: Normal
You have been set as Muhak from Pokso Muhyopjeon. The people of this world will recognize you as Muhak. Your stats have been adjusted accordingly.
※ Overall Assessment: Always be careful not to lose your belongings!
"Always be careful not to lose your belongings? This bastard's mocking me... Still, my points went up by 110? That's actually pretty good."
Muttering to himself, Seong-il tapped the floating notification. A new message appeared on the screen.
Retrieve Lost Item (Black Ball): Requires 100 points
"What?! I can get the lost item back?! For only 100 points? I'm taking it, no question!"
The moment Seong-il pressed the confirm button, the same blue light from before flared up, and the Black Ball appeared before his eyes.
"Ah... ahhh... I'm saved. With the Young Mistress as my hostage, I should be able to survive here somehow."
Now that he'd recovered every lost item, Seong-il began thinking about his next move.
How should I proceed from here? I'm mentally exhausted... maybe I should go home and rest for a bit? Or... find a safe place first and figure out how the Black Ball actually works...?
After long deliberation, he decided to keep pushing forward.
My body is treated separately from reality. The only thing that recovers with rest is mental fatigue.
Of course, mental recovery is important. But I still don't know how time flows here when I'm outside. In this extremely sensitive situation, if the story progresses automatically or continues without me, the variables will get way too big. I'll keep going as long as I can hold out.
Having organized his thoughts, Seong-il started moving in search of a safe location. Fortunately, it was a hot summer, so the weather wasn't cold, and his wet clothes weren't too much of a problem. Not long after wandering, he found a small cave. He sat inside, rested, and began carefully reading the phone's explanation of the Black Ball.
1. The Black Ball can only be used by its original registered owner and cannot be transferred.
2. Any slave captured by the Black Ball will suffer merciless agony whenever they disobey their master's commands.
3. If a slave attempts to attack their master, they will experience pain equivalent to the above.
4. All pain continues until the master chooses to stop it.
5. Any slave bound to the Black Ball will die if their master dies.
According to the description, the Young Mistress can't resist me or try to harm me.
With his worries lifted, Seong-il gripped the ball and summoned the Young Mistress with a tense heart.
"What the—?! You bastard! What the hell did you do to me?!"
The moment she saw Seong-il, the Young Mistress flew into a rage and threw a punch at him.
"Ugh... ack... AAAAAAAGH!!!"
The instant she tried to attack, unimaginable agony slammed into her. The Young Mistress collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain beyond anything she could have imagined.
"Stop! Stop!! Please, stop...!!"
She thrashed wildly across the floor, even wetting herself in her frenzy.
"Enough."
At Seong-il's single word, the torment that had been torturing her vanished in an instant. The shocked Young Mistress stared at him.
"What... what did you do to me?!"
"Does that even matter, you son of a bitch? Because of you, innocent Cheongmyeong Jin'in and Handan are dead. And you have the nerve to ask me questions instead of begging for mercy? You need to suffer a lot more."
The moment those words left his mouth, hellish pain engulfed her once again. The Young Mistress screamed and writhed on the ground. When the agony refused to let up, she crawled toward Seong-il on all fours, grabbed his pant leg, and began to beg.
"Please... please take away this pain. I was wrong. Please... stop the pain. Please!"
Watching her howl like a beast in torment, even Seong-il's heart began to soften.
Should I stop now...? Cheongmyeong Jin'in and Handan were kind to me for three days, but we weren't really that close. Besides, I already knew this was going to happen to them...
He started rationalizing to himself.
That's right. This guy is the Young Master of the evil Demon Sect. But he's also the only one who can give me absolute loyalty and serve as my bodyguard.
It's unfortunate about the two who died, but they're already gone. It's time to let them go and start acting for my own benefit.
With that decision made, Seong-il ended the pain.
"Fine. That's enough."
"Thank you... thank you..."
Freed from the hellish torment, the Young Mistress abandoned all pride. She pressed her forehead to Seong-il's feet, thanking him for his mercy.
"Take off the mask."
At his command, she flinched and hesitated, but the cold look in his eyes made her hurriedly remove it. What appeared beneath was a peerlessly beautiful woman with striking jet-black hair.
Whoa... I knew she was beautiful, but I didn't expect this level...
Seong-il had already cleared Pokso Muhyopjeon completely (well, he'd watched a streamer do it), so he knew from the setting that the Young Mistress was supposed to be a lovely young beauty. However, since it was an old 2D game and she always appeared wearing a mask, her actual appearance had remained a mystery. She went missing under suspicious circumstances in the mid-game and only appeared again in the final boss's diary in the last chapter...
She had the Heavenly Yin Physique, right? I think so...
After the mid-game, the Young Mistress is imprisoned due to the Chief Guardian's rebellion. More precisely, she's used and killed in the rebellion of the Blood Sect Leader who had possessed the Chief Guardian's body. Very miserably.
Twenty years ago, the Blood Sect was wiped out by a united assault from the Orthodox, Evil, and Demon factions. But just before dying, the Blood Sect Leader borrowed the power of the Blood God he was trying to resurrect and took over the body of a Demon Sect guardian, pretending to be a loyal protector. When the Orthodox and Evil factions destroyed the Demon Sect, the Chief Guardian managed to escape with the Demon Sect Leader's only blood relative—his daughter.
The symbolic role of guardian to the young blood relative granted him absolute power within the Demon Sect. Using that authority, he secretly rebuilt the Blood Sect among the surviving forces. After twenty years of secretly manipulating the Young Mistress from the shadows, he finally revealed his ambition upon obtaining the Blood God's sacred artifact. He led the new Blood Sect forces he'd built in secret, ambushed the Young Mistress and her faction inside the Demon Sect, killed them all, crippled her martial arts, and made her his concubine.
The reason he didn't kill her was because she possessed the Heavenly Yin Physique, which could dramatically improve a man's constitution and inner energy simply through sexual union. The Blood Sect Leader exploited her to the extreme and succeeded in perfecting his own martial arts. Once she was no longer useful, he impregnated her and used her as a sacrifice for the Blood God's resurrection—an utterly heinous act.
In the final chapter, Handan and the two monks learn the truth from the Chief Guardian's diary too late. They barely manage to kill him and try to stop the Blood God's resurrection, only to find a blood-soaked woman who had just given birth to a child before dying, and the Blood God who had descended into the world using the child's body. They fight a final battle against the descended Blood God and bring peace to the world... or so the story went.
Just having sex with her gives me inner energy...?
Recalling her secret, greed began to bloom inside Seong-il's heart.
I can learn martial arts through this woman...!
With lust-filled eyes, Seong-il looked at the Young Mistress and spoke.
"Name."
"Y-yes?"
"Tell me your name."
"I... I am called Han Eun-wol."
The moment he heard her self-introduction, Seong-il frowned.
"Han... Dan?"
Startled by his expression and words, she quickly corrected herself.
"H-Han Eun-wol, Gongja-nim."
"Good... Now, why did you attack us?"
Seong-il already knew the full story, but he wanted to check if he'd missed anything or if there were other facts he didn't know, so he began questioning her.
"I simply... knew that Yuan Gang Daesa possessed the long-lost 'Hyeolshin Jibo' and tried to take it... that is all."
Her speech is a bit annoying, but I can teach her properly later.
"Is that so? And what were you planning to do with the Hyeolshin Jibo?"
Eun-wol hesitated slightly before answering.
"I planned to use the Hyeolshin Jibo to open the seal on the temple where the evil god is imprisoned, steal the spiritual medicines, secret manuals, and treasures inside, and use those resources to rebuild the Demon Sect."
"Is that really all?"
At Seong-il's words, Han Eun-wol put on an expression begging him to believe her.
"Of course, Gongja-nim!"
"Fine. Swear on your conscience that there are no other secrets you're hiding. Then I'll believe you. Otherwise, the pain will return."
She made a startled face, quickly composed herself, and forced a smile as she answered.
"O-of course, Gongja-nim."
The merciless pain struck her again immediately.
"Hiiik... ugh, ugh... AAAAAAAGH!!!"
She lied, huh?
She collapsed to the floor, thrashing and screaming from the horrific agony.
"Stop!! Stop!! Gongja-nim, please stop the pain!!"
Tears and drool poured from Han Eun-wol as she clutched Seong-il's pants and begged desperately.
Watching her like this, Seong-il felt a strange sense of conquest.
Huh... At first I felt sorry for her. But now that I'm getting used to it, it feels... strangely good?
Seeing a beautiful woman far stronger than himself begging him for mercy gave Seong-il an odd catharsis.
"Enough."
"Haa... haa..."
The pain vanished at his command. Han Eun-wol slumped to the floor, dazed, drooling and crying as she let out nothing but moans.
"I'll ask again. Tell me the real reason the Demon Sect went there. Don't hide anything."
At his cold tone, Eun-wol trembled violently and spoke.
"B-besides the reason I gave earlier... I wanted to make a deal with the evil god to fix my body, Gongja-nim..."
"Fix your body...?"
"Y-yes..."
"Are you sick? Why did you want to fix your body?"
Han Eun-wol kept her head pressed to the ground, unable to meet his eyes, and answered.
"T-this humble one... actually possesses the Heavenly Yin Physique."
"The Heavenly Yin Physique...?"
Even though he knew everything, Seong-il pretended ignorance and asked again.
"Y-yes... The Heavenly Yin Physique is a body that possesses extremely powerful yin energy. It grants exceptional talent and rapid inner energy growth. However, women with the Heavenly Yin Physique generally do not live long. That is why I sought to make a deal with the evil god to suppress the side effects of my body and ultimately obtain a martial art that could cure me."
When Seong-il simply stared at her with an odd expression and said nothing, she misunderstood his silence as the prelude to more torture. She pressed her head against his leg and spoke urgently.
"It's the truth! Gongja-nim! I only wanted to heal my body and rebuild our fallen sect! If you had just given me a chance, I really would have given you the antidote and spared your master and senior brother! Our forces aren't even fully established yet! If we make enemies so recklessly at a time like this, it will only tighten the noose around our own necks! It's true! Please believe me!"
She finished by desperately banging her head against the ground, begging for mercy.
She must be in incredible pain. Just how bad is the agony that it could turn the proud Young Mistress into this...?
Taking his silence as doubt, she grabbed his pant leg again in a panic and pleaded.
"It's the truth, Gongja-nim! Please make me swear the oath again like before! Then you'll be able to believe me! Gongja-nim... please..."
"Alright. I'll believe you, so stop."
At Seong-il's words, Eun-wol smiled brightly and expressed her gratitude. Even with her face covered in tears and drool, her beauty stirred something deep in his chest.
Wow... She's insanely beautiful.
Even after being ruined by pain, Han Eun-wol's appearance was breathtaking. Moreover, the fact that her body might be able to raise his own physical talent—something that had always been his complex—ignited lust inside him.
"Since you say you have the Heavenly Yin Physique, I should verify it myself."
"Pardon...? W-what do you mean...?"
With a crooked smile, Seong-il said,
"Take it off."